I Won't Let You Down
by bogey654
Summary: Two friends, the best of friends. A rivalry, the best of rivalries. The same is different, but what does matter here is the bond. One is dethroned, but the meassage is to never end it. Because rivals and friends are important and should never be forgotten.


Hey guys. I wrote a different Ken vs Ryu story while ago. I did consider rewriting it, but then I thought "why not write a new, better fic?" Also, this is just to get something out. Also, this **NOT** to appease that incessant guest reviewer that goes on about violence. His reviews amuse me, but I don't want to feed a troll. However, he probably will enjoy this, and his tiny brain will think "oh, I'm getting somewhere with my moaning," but there you go. I hope you nice guys out there enjoy this! By the way, this isn't character bashing, this is just a story. Enjoy!

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Ken watched as Ryu walked into the Arena. The dark entrance covered Ryu's face as he moved forward. His steps were meaningful. The hot sunlight meant that both were sweating before they had even begun. Ryu marched forward and met his blonde-haired friend in the middle. The crowd was transfixed; this cataclysmic showdown between two long time rivals was about to take place. And in the finals of the Street Fighter tournament no less!

Just one pace apart, Ken eyed his rival. Neither man smiled. Instead, they both fist-bumped to show respect and nodded to each other. That nod showed mutual agreement; _I'm going to do my best. I'm not holding back._

Anticipation was consuming the crowd. The two took ten slow, deliberate paces apart from each other.

Then an announcer called out, the echoing voice encompassing the whole arena.

"Are you ready?" Ryu nodded. Ken stood unflinchingly. "_Fight!"_

The crowd gasped as the two...

Did nothing.

The crowd was expecting immediate action. However, the two world famous fighters were too respectful of each other t jump right in. Neither wanted to make a silly mistake that could cost them the match. They each got into their respective stances; Ryu's strong, focused stance, lightly bouncing on his heels. Ken's relaxed back-and-forth agile stance. The two advanced. Ken made the first move.

Two light jabs, followed by a quick snap kick to the side of the knee. Ryu parried the jabs but was caught by the kick. Ken noticed the slight lack of balance and immediately jumped and span in the air to hit Ryu's face. Ryu blocked, but the force behind the kick knocked him into the air. He landed on his back and slid a metre. He quickly leaped up onto his feet, wary of the follow up. Ken was edging forward slowly. Ryu took the initiative this time and went for a straight kick to the abdomen. Ken blocked it with ease, but the throw attempt took him by surprise. The white clad fighter turned and threw Ken over his shoulder. Ken recovered in mid air and landed safely. The sun lit his gi up; it was like a brand of fire, strong and solid. Ryu's gi lit up to shine brightly, the glow dampened by the dark marks of dirt and other stains. Then the fight began.

They both jumped into the air and met in a flurry of blows. Parry after parry, kick after kick. They both landed on the floor and clashed again. Ken went for an axe kick which was barely blocked by Ryu. He gasped as Ryu swept his leg before he recovered. '_Quickly!'_ Ken rolled off his back onto his feet. Ryu had jumped up to follow up. Ken knew Ryu would counter Ken's signature shoryuken. Ken took the initiative. He did the motions for a shoryuken; the crouch, the fist, the arch. As he saw Ryu tense, he switched his stance. His feet quickly jumped side-by-side. Then he made the tiniest of steps to the left. As Ryu twisted his body to counter the supposed shoryuken, Ken twisted himself. His avoided all of Ryu's limbs and delivered a devastating blow. He lifted his fist in a solid uppercut. This fist met Ryu's chin. Instead of rising into the air, he lifted his knee into Ryu's side. He finished up with a push to keep Ryu away.

As Ryu tried to recover his breath, Ken fired a quick Hadoken. The ki energy was already charged up into his fists beforehand. Ryu was forced to block the ki blast. Now that he had a chance to recover, he waited for more pressure. Instead, Ken just watched Ryu rub his jaw.

"Not quite what you expected, huh buddy?"  
"No." Ryu smiled. '_Trust Ken to never let me down.'_

"I'm gonna win."

"Maybe. We are even, you know."

"Exactly." Ken smiled back at his friend. "It's time to dethrone you!"

The talk was cut short as Ken jumped high. As he came down he quickly manoeuvred his body into his hurricane kick. The angle was perfect; Ryu had no idea where Ken would try to hit him. To avoid that situation, Ryu dashed backwards. The sandy floor was hot on his feet; the sun heated it up, and the friction didn't help. Ken landed facing Ryu.

Kick. Kick. Kick.

A flurry of kicks came at Ryu. As he dodged each one, he finally struck his own strike. He timed his kick nicely, catching Ken straight in his chest.

Ken hit the wall of the arena and used the momentum to remain standing. He could feel the bruises, but they meant nothing. Ken rushed forward to begin the assault anew.

The audience stared in stunned silence. It wasn't a surprise that these two were the finalists. They were speedy, skilled and they hit hard. Even Zangief lost in a fist-meets-fist scenario with Ryu. And Cammy's speed was legendary, but Ken was faster and more efficient with his movement. The duo was dodging every attack made by the other. If one kicked, the other blocked. If another punched, the other would lean back. They were dancing around. The first gap would be a huge factor in deciding the victor. Then the battle went high.

Ken soared into the air. His descent meant that any block would be meaningless. If Ryu evaded, his back would be to the wall. So he had one option. He jumped in response. They caught each other at the same time. Ken went flying backwards. His landed back first onto the sand. Ryu hit back first downwards into the concrete wall. Ken hopped back up, sore but no real damage. Ryu stayed on his feet, ready to begin his plan. He charged all his ki power into his fists and fired Hadoken after Hadoken. He was keeping Ken away, aiming to tire him. Ken slid, dashed and ducked each Hadoken, but he could feel his body slowing. He knew that this had to stop. He ran straight at Ryu. The wanderer paused for one moment. His ki gathered like a battery. The only difference was that this energy was going to explode, not leak. He waited until Ken was close enough to be committed to his push forward. Then he thrust forward.

"_**Hadoken!"**_

He was stuck for a moment. His body froze. The Metsu Hadoken completely drained his body for just a second. However, Ken's angle meant he couldn't avoid it. Not with his momentum. Ryu's eyes widened as Ken's left arm swept the ki blast away. It clung to his arm, but when Ken flung it in an outward swing it redirected the energy into the air. He crouched down, and Ryu knew it was over. His fist burst into flames, his body tensed. Finally, he smiled. That smile meant game over. Ken rose, spinning as he did so. Ryu's chin was stuck on Ken's fist for the first spin. Then he was pushed back slightly to catch the rest of the fire. The fists struck his temples, and the kicks struck his sides, stomach and legs.

"_**Shinryuken!"**_

Ken's body had had enough. His last kick struck Ryu hard, flinging his body far away into the sand. Ken landed.

"Ryu..." The American realised he had won. He slowly walked toward Ryu, wincing in pain as he did so. As the fire was ki-based, Ryu's clothes were intact. Master Gouken had taught them so their ki did not harm clothing. They were taught that if you used ki with a certain focus, it harmed only the opponent's body. Ken's fire always hurt, but now it was the finishing blow to determine his victory.

He sat next to Ryu. Ryu's eyes flickered open and gained a look of recognition.

"Ken..."

"Hey buddy."

"Nicely...done."

"Thanks." Ken smiled cheekily, but spoke with a serious tone. 2You're gonna have to work harder from now on. You've always had the advantage. I've had my business. Guess what?" Ryu pondered for a moment.

"You...you sold it?" Ken nodded solemnly.

"Of course. Eliza pointed out that more money was useless. Now I can train more and be with my family. I'll even have time to tour the world! We were even pal. But now..." Ken grinned and flexed his arm in a half-joking manner. "I've got the same sixteen hours a day you do! You're gonna have to work hard! Don't let me down!"

"What a climatic finish! The winner: _**Ken, MASTEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRSSSSSS!"**_

The two friends laughed and bumped fists. They nodded to each other. The message communicated was clear.

'_**I won't let you down.'**_


End file.
